What The Fronx! Exclusive Drive Of The Maruti Suzuki Fronx In The US

Talking about driving the Maruti Suzuki Fronx may not seem special to you. But when it is past the Rose Bowl in Pasadena or down Rodeo Drive in Los Angeles, it becomes a pinch-me-I’m dreaming moment. The Indian automobile industry has really come of age. The manufacturing prowess and engineering standards we now have are reflected in Indian made cars being sold all over the planet. And it becomes extra special when you get to drive one such car on foreign shores. And making it even sweeter? The first time a Maruti is hitting the tarmac in the United States.

The Fronx is a global model led by Maruti for the Suzuki global business. It has become a big hit in its home market, and has already begun selling well in Latin America too. And that’s the left-hand drive ‘booster green’ Fronx model - driven up from Mexico - that I am driving today, in California.

The car is here because it’s one of the nominees shortlisted for the 2024 World Car of year and the World Urban Car Of the Year and it’s made in India for the globe.

Now on the styling front, it’s pretty much the same car that you get here in India. However, the big difference is on the inside and that’s because, as I said earlier, the steering wheel is on the other side. Yes, it’s a left-hand drive model.

But there is a big change and that’s under the hood. The Fronx for the Mexican market gets a 1.5-litre engine that punches out 104 bhp develops 138 Nm of torque. This is an engine for the export version and it comes from India. But it is standard for the Latin American market and it’s standard. There’s no other engine option available. This one, however, is branded booster green.

Now you might wonder why booster green, well remember we used to have SHVS from all Maruti Suzuki cars for the mild hybrid system that’s the badging it uses in the Latin American market.

The India-spec gets the 1.2-litre and the 1-litre Boosterjet engine, but both are not as powerful as this one, so yes, we don’t get this one in our line up, but should we? Well, that’s a question left for Maruti Suzuki to answer.

Now the paddle shifters are available even on the India-spec variant but the gearbox on this export car is a 4-speed unit. The suspension set up is similar to the one on the Fronx that we get in India and so the ride is good and creases out any undulations on the road.

Has it impressed the WCOTY judges though? Well it did, because it made it to the top 5 finalist list. However, it couldn’t manage to get a place in the top 3, which is heart breaking for us. But there’s a sense of pride attached to us driving the Fronx in LA. It’s an experience like no other!